Government will host a National Workforce Empowerment Conference that will include a series of workshops for senior management personnel, to help stamp out racial disparities.

Acting Minister of Community and Cultural Affairs, Michael Scott, said the two-day conference, to be held on September 26 and September 27, would feature expert international speakers.

The Community for Unity and Racial Equality (CURE) is hosting the event at the Fairmont Southampton Princess hotel.

Mr. Scott stated: "The conference has been designed to equip senior executives, business unit managers and HR personnel with resources, tools and strategies to foster the development of an empowered workforce via their organisational culture and practice.

"We believe that the far-reaching benefits will be seen in a more productive workforce of highly-motivated and competent employees who are committed to the mission of their respective companies and roles.

"Conference participants will be invited to champion a committed approach toward diversity and race equality in the workplace." It comes after Wayne Perinchief, Minister of Community and Cultural Affairs, recently announced that companies who refuse to change discriminatory hiring practices could be fined.

For years, statistics have shown that blacks are still a minority in executive positions — down from 29 percent to 27 percent last year.

Legislation mandating such penalties is likely to be introduced in the next session of the House of Assembly, the Minister revealed.

Mr. Perinchief told The Royal Gazette: "We recognise the dynamic make-up of the workforce. Quotas are unnecessary targets. They don't really work. We prefer other measures.

"We can no longer leave the issue of imbalance and under-representation of blacks in the workplace to good will." Currently employers of more than ten people fill out an annual survey on the racial, gender and the nationality breakdown of their workforce, detailing the salary and promotion ladder.

More than 100 representatives from the Island's local and international companies are expected to attend and will offer the best practices in the field of diversity and racial equality to the extent that it's organised.

And on the second day of the forum, the 2007 Excellence in Equality of Opportunity Awards Ceremonial Luncheon will take place, starting at 12.30 p.m. to finish off the conference.

Sacha Bearden, Deputy Chairperson of CURE added: "The Excellence Awards initiative was devised to honour those employers who have in principle and in practice, been working effectively to ensure an equal and fair work environment in Bermuda.

"We are asking employees and the general public to submit nominations for the awards process.

"There are five categories. Representation by race; equality of opportunity initiatives; adoption of CURE's code of practice; employee's choice and an overall category that requires the employer to excel in at least three of the four aforementioned categories.

"The 2007 Awards Ceremony is the second, conducted by CURE. When we held our first ceremony in October 2005, we presented Bermuda Yellow Pages Ltd. with the overall winner award." The Official Awards Ceremony will begin with a keynote address by international speaker, Mr. Marvin D. Williams, President of Aptus, LLC, an infrastructure, investment and development firm.

Mr. Williams will speak on the concept of privilege and the senior executive. He was a special guest speaker at the Premier's Bermuda Race Relations Initiative (BRRI) held in July this year.

Employees and the general public are invited to submit nominations for the awards before September 7, 2007. Nomination forms are available at the CURE office in Melbourne House, Parliament Street, Hamilton and the General Post Office.